Circuit breaker lever



March 3, 1936. A s. PINKUs 2,033,005

CIRCUIT BREAKER vLEVER Filed April 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l gmc/whom a7 rdLam/' .Pin/18u67 g@ JWQW,

m. rid/W w/-QM Z lr lj 8 wi I L ma I w m Z 4 n.4 0 J s, a

GMM/MAJ March 3, A 5 PINKUS 2,033,095

C IRCUIT BREAKER LEVER Filed April 2e, 1954 2 sheets-sheet 2 46 rahmfnjus @3% m /Zfulj gmc/whom D to circuit closing position.

Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

.This invention relates to circuit breakers of the type used in the ignition apparatus of internal combustion engines and has special reference to the circuit breaker lever of such apparatus.

In connection with levers for this purpose it is customary to provide the lever with a rubbing block of insulating material which is engaged by a cam' to operate the lever in its circuit breaking movement, the lever being urged by a spring In the manner of constructing this rubbing block and attaching it to the lever diiiiculty has been heretofore experienced by reason of the block being inefliciently supported on the lever so that the block has either broken or has separated from the lever.

One principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved lever and block arrangement wherein the block is so constructed as to be unbreakable through any ordinary conditions of use, and wherein such block will be rmly attached to and supported from the lever body.

It has been the practice, in certain devices for this purpose to make the rubbing or wear block from an L-shaped piece of insulating material, one leg of the L-shaped piece being riveted to the lever body while the other leg projects laterally from the lever to engage the operating cam. This L-shaped piece has either been constructed from a molded rectangular tube cut into four L-shaped pieces or from a molded channel cut into two L-shaped pieces. Such an L-shaped construction is found to be subject to such breakage because of weakness at the angle.

A second important object of the invention is to provide a rubbing or Wear block which is made of a flatstrip of highly compressed insulating material and to provide means, whereby such a. fiat strip may be firmly attached to the lever body to project laterally therefrom,

It is customary in levers for this purpose to provide the free end, which is the end adapted to engage a fixed contact or terminal, with a contact piece or point of highly refractory yet highly conductive material. Tungsten has been widely used for this purpose and has been commonly secured to the free end of the lever by welding in an atmosphere of hydrogen but the welding requires such a temperature as to anneal the steel of which the lever body is composed and thus to weaken the lever. l

A third important object of the invention is to provide an improved form of such lever arm having a tungsten or other point of similar characteristics securely riveted thereto.

A fourth important object of the invention is to provide an improved bearing arrangement for such a lever.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and:-

Figure 1 is a plan View, partly in section, of one preferred form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a detail showing the main member of the lever in plan and disassociated from the remaining parts.

Figure 4 is a detail section on the line 4-4 of Figure l.

Figure 5 is a detail section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of the wear block used with this form of the device and one of its supporting plates.

Figure '7 is a View similar to Figure 1 but showing a modification of the invention.

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the modification shown in Figure '7.

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 7 but showing a second modification.

Figure 10 is a detail side view of the outer or free end of the lever shown in Figure 9.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures l to 6, the body of the lever consists of a metallic plate I having at one end a hollow boss I I projecting from one side of the plate, the boss being so formed as to provide a circular recess I2 in the side of the plate opposite to that from which the boss projects. The body of the plate extends at right angles to the axis of the boss and has its terminal extremity I3 twisted to lie in a plane at right angles to the body and is angularly disposed to the general direction in which the body extends from the boss when the body is viewed in plan as in Figure 3. Through the terminal portion I3 is formed an opening I4. A steel rivet I 'I with shank I6 having a tungsten disc I welded in a conventional manner to the fiat surface of the rivet I 'I passes through the opening I4 at the twisted free end of the lever. f

This shank is riveted over at I8 and thus holds the contact point securely to the lever without welding or other application of heat. Adjacent its terminal end the lever is provided with a hollow rib I9 to stiffen it at this point. It will be noted that the lever body thus constructed is preferably made of a single thickness stamping of heavy sheet steel or other suitable metal, the metal being of sufficient thickness to oier great resistance against bending and deformation.

Fitted in the recess I2 is the flange 20 of a flanged collar 2| which projects opposite the boss I I and to substantially an equal extent thereto so that the boss and collar together form a symmetrical sleeve with respect to this end of the lever body. Fitted immovably in the sleeve thus formed is an insulating bushing 22, the boss and collar being preferably internally roughened to give a better grip on the bushing and being preferably spun onto the bushing to hold the bushing immovably in place. This bushing, in common with the wear block presently tol be described, is preferably made from a phenol condensation product such as bakelite, phenolite or the like.

Riveted to the sides of the body I0 is a pair of angle brackets 23, these brackets being disposed opposite each other so that rivets 24 may pass through both brackets. A wear block 25 of insulating material is slotted at 26 to fit on the body IG and at each side of the wear block is a reinforcing plate 2'I similarly slotted. A leaf spring 28 of the form usual in devices of this character has one end forked with the arms of the fork located between the brackets 23 and the adjacent reinforcing plate so that two rivets 29 may pass through the brackets, spring arms, reinforcing plates and wear block and thus bind the whole of these parts solidly together with the carn contacting edge of the Wear block projecting from between the reinforcing plate. By this means the wear block is so supported that only by the use of extreme violence can it be either broken or dislodged.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures '7 and 8, the bodyof the lever consists of a plate 30 having side anges 3I stamped to provide oppositely extending bosses 32 holding the insulating sleeve or bushing 33 and the body of the device as shown in Figures 9 and l0 is substantially of the same construction. In each of these forms a tungsten contact point 34 is riveted or welded to the lever at its free end.

In the form shown in Figures 7 and 8 a rivet 35 passes through the body 30 and on this rivet are successively mounted one end of they leverY spring 3B, oneleg 3l of an angle bracket having its other leg 38 at right angles to the body, and a washer 39. A wear block 40 rests against the leg 38 and on this wear block rests a reinforcingv plate 4I. The rivets 42 serve to hold these parts together.

' Similarly, in Figures 9 and 10 angle brackets 43 are held in spaced relation on the body 30 by rivets 44 and clamp the spring 45 in place. tween these brackets is a Wear block 46 which is iiXedly held in place by rivets 4l.

In each instance it will be noted that the insulating wear block is reinforced on opposite sides and is secured to the body of the lever by angle bracket means. The reinforcement of the Wear block on both sides is particularly important in distributing systems using dual ignition, the wear block in such system being actuated from both sides by the cam of the distributor.

While three forms of the invention have been here shown it is obvious that other modifications of construction, embodying the same principles, may be made so that it is to be understood that the invention is not to be restricted to the particular forms here shown and described.

What is claimed, is

1. A circuit breaker lever including a body, a wear block of insulating material extending laterally from the body, an angle bracket iixed to the body and supporting the block at one side, reinforcing means for the opposite side of said block, and means for holding said reinforcing means, said block and said bracket together.

2. A circuit breaker lever including a body, a wear block of insulating material extending laterally from the body, an angle bracket fixed to the body and supporting the block at one side, re-

inforcing means for the opposite side of said block, means for holding said reinforcing means, said block and said bracket together, and a breaker lever spring having one end clamped by said angle bracket.

3.Y A circuit breaker lever including a at body, angle brackets disposed on opposite sides of the body, a wear block of insulating material slotted to receive one edge of the body, reinforcing plates straddling the said edge on opposite sides of the lock, means for securing said reinforcing plates and block to said angle brackets, and a breaker lever'spring having one end clamped between said angle brackets and block.

4. A circuit breaker lever including a body, an angle bracket fixed to said body and having a leg projecting laterally from the body, a Wear block of insulating material resting with one side against said leg, a reinforcing plate bearing against the other side of said block, and means for securing together said leg, block and plate.

5. A circuit breaker lever including a body, an angle bracket fixed to said body and having a leg projecting laterally from the body, avwear block of insulating material resting with one side against said leg, a reinforcing plate bearing against the other side of said block, 'means for securing together said leg, block, and plate, and a breaker lever spring having one end clamped between said bracket and body.

6. A circuit breaker lever including a body, a pair of oppositely disposed angle brackets xed on said body, one leg of each bracket extending laterally from the body with the remaining two of said legs in spaced parallel relation, a wear block of insulating material clamped between said last two legs, and a breaker lever spring having one end clamped between said brackets and body.

ABRAHAM S. PINKUS. 

